Tag: Engagement
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The 2026 Peoples’ Choice Award for Great Public Space in Charlotte
Nominations for the 2026 Urban Design Awards are now open! The “Urbies,” awards program aims to recognize, celebrate and champion quality urban design in Charlotte. Over the next two weeks, residents have the opportunity to nominate outstanding projects in the People’s Choice Award for Great Urban Design category.
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2025 Urban Design Awards Nominations
Nominations for the 2025 Urban Design Awards are now open. Affectionately dubbed the “Urbies,” this Urban Design Center-led awards program aims to recognize, celebrate and champion quality urban design in Charlotte while encouraging continued community discussion around what makes for unique and great places. Over the next two weeks, residents have the opportunity to nominate…
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Public Space in Poland: An Exploration of Third Places
Written by Justin Ritchey Imagine wandering through a narrow city street, rough cobblestone at your feet, colorful storefronts on either side with donuts and pastries in the windows. People are sitting outside, coffee in hand, talking with a good friend. As you approach the end of the street, it opens into a large square lined…
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Biking Around Charlotte
Written by Kara O’Hearn Imagine you are biking along one of the many greenway routes in Charlotte with large, lush trees offering refuge from the sun and a brambling creek at your side with kids running around, families walking side by side and others pausing to soak in the linear enclave of nature within the…
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Building Better Cities: The Triple Bottom Line in Urban Design
Written by Chad Cramer What is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL)? Decisions are often driven by a predominant metric—the bottom line. We frequently hear decisions framed with questions like: How much will it cost? How much profit will it generate? This approach can be problematic, as prioritizing economic return often comes at the expense of…
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Hope Amongst the Rubble: Urban Resilience in Western Carolina
Opportunities for Urban Resilience in Western North Carolina in the Face of Climate Catastrophe A Climate Haven Under Strain Hurricane Helene’s unprecedented and catastrophic damage revealed Western North Carolina’s vulnerability and placed it on the national stage. For years, Asheville has been seen as a climate haven, a place expected to avoid the worst effects…
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Recap: the 2024 Urban Design Awards
The City of Charlotte Urban Design Center and the UNC Charlotte David R. Ravin School of Architecture presented the city’s fourth annual Urban Design Awards, also known as the Urbies, on Thursday, November 7th in a ceremony dedicated to showcasing excellent urban design. The awards program is a yearly recognition and celebration of quality urban…
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Studio Connections with Potions & Pixels
Did you know that the Urban Design Center proudly partners with Potions & Pixels to host a monthly board game night at our South End Studio? We have held six Third Thursday Board Game Nights with over a hundred people visiting the Studio this year. We hope you will join us for our last two…
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The Second Annual Urban Design Awards
On October 27th, The City of Charlotte Urban Design Center and the UNC-Charlotte School of Architecture presented the city’s second annual Urban Design Awards. Affectionally dubbed “The Urbies,” this awards program recognizes and celebrates quality urban design in Charlotte.